Do you like chick flicks? You know - the super girly movies where every girl in the audience sighs excessively, dreaming of the day her prince charming will rush onto the scene and sweep her up out of a field of flowers, sunlight accentuating his gorgeously dark brown hair and perfect smile? Okay, so I could have done without the exaggerated, corny definition; but it was fun to write! ;) You have to admit, despite my drastically unrealistic version, most chick-flicks are overly cliche. Like all guys are really that smooth and will say lines that make your heart swell. PLEASE! Give them a break. No guy is perfect. None. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Ling (that's Chinese :D). The burning question is, how are girls ever supposed to satisfy their longing desire for romantic perfection? Are we supposed to stock up on chick-flicks for the rest of our lives, hoping that they'll fill in the gaps our husbands leave? If happily-ever-after is a phony, then is all of humanity utterly doomed for destruction and misery? (Okay, it's not that dramatic, but still. For every problem, there has to be a solution, right?)Listen closely, my friends. This st
ory is all too familiar to me, but perhaps we all need some refreshing. Once upon a time, a 17 year old girl, dying for more chick-flicks, finished watching Aladdin. As Princess Jasmine rode away with her "prince" on a magic carpet, she didn't want it to end! She simply had to see more, craving to get a taste of real romance. To smell the sweet rose and feel the happiness inside when a guy tells her she's beautiful. But everything was crushed. Like a mirror thrown on the floor, shattered to pieces, was this girls' spirit when she realized the inevitable truth of love: it's not perfect. Marriages fail. Fights happen. And ultimately, people fail. Despite what Disney may claim, prince charming isn't all he's made up to be. He's flawed. That's right - HE'S HUMAN. Are there times when you feel angry and lose your temper? When you lash out at your family and somehow acquire that "sass" and "attitude"? You can't expect your husband to be better. The underlying problem with nearly every chick-flick is the underrepresented reality that happily-ever-after doesn't mean there aren't fights, tears, pain, hurt, and moments when the "D" word seems uncontainable. No, happily-ever-after means that through those seasons in the valley, you and your spouse can work through the issues together, as a team, and display true love. Love is not saying "I love you." We all know how cliche that becomes. In fact, so cliche that it loses its value on so many occasions. Love is shown by action.
What greater love than f or a friend to lay down His life? What greater love than perfect love that casts out fear? What greater love than Jesus Christ dying on the cross, bearing the sin of the world, for the salvation of those who believe? I am a child of God by grace, and let me tell you, there is no greater love. No hay amor mas grande (that's what my Spanish Bible says on the cover-picture to the left). Chick-flicks are cute and fun. They satisfy now. In ten years my future husband will love me and be romantic (I hope). However, both of these are temporary. A two-hour long movie isn't enough for a 24 hour day, let alone a whole lifetime. A husband isn't perfect enough to satisfy all of my need s. This is one 100% guarantee: I will be let down. He will let me down. But you know who won't? My best friend Jesus will never let me down. He is my everlasting strength and His perfect love is more than enough for me. Bringing this story to a close, as that 17 year old girl contemplated these thoughts, God decided to reveal wise and encouraging words to her from Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NIV)
5 This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
"None loves greater than this"
Mr. Fictitious Prince Charming may bring roses and sweetly tell you romantic lines and phrases, but my God created the rose with perfect love, and wrote me an entire book, just because He loves me . He loves me even when I'm not so pretty and nice. He loves me by action, actively blessing me every day. He paints the sunrise and sunset so I can admire His beauty daily. I thank God for chick-flicks, but I am certain that God is the only One who can satisfy all of my needs. Praise Jesus Christ that I am loved! He tells me I'm beautiful every day... <3
Sources: roses, happily ever after 1, aladdin and jasmine, amor y Jesus, no hay amor mas grande, happily ever after 2
